M'kay

Geoduck Gallop 1/2 Marathon

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Location:

Eatonville,WA,USA

Member Since:

Nov 01, 2007

Gender:

Male

Goal Type:

Age Division Winner

Running Accomplishments:

Short-Term Running Goals:

Regain consistency.

Build up slowly and come out strong.

Regain "speed" (relative)

Finish WR50 again.

Improve at Cascade Crest. 

2013 Races:

  • Capital Peak Mega Fat Ass 17M (1/19) - 2:48:48
  • Yakima Skyline Rim 50K (4/21) - 7:16:20
  • Grey Rock 50K (5/13)
  • White River 50M (7/27)
  • Cascade Crest 100M (8/24-25)

 

Long-Term Running Goals:

Find my true running potential, then exceed it.

Favorite Blogs:

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Miles:This week: 0.00 Month: 0.00 Year: 0.00
Hoka Stinson B Lifetime Miles: 982.34
Hoka Stinson Evo Lifetime Miles: 452.95
Altra Provision Lifetime Miles: 139.73
Altra Torin Lifetime Miles: 380.08
Hoka Bondi 2 Lifetime Miles: 706.15
Hoka Mafate 3 Lifetime Miles: 81.12
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
276.414.4318.1016.31315.25
Night Sleep Time: 248.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 248.00
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
4.000.005.000.009.00

2 miles warmup in 17:02, 8:31/mi, avg HR 141.  5 miles Steady State in 35:27, 7:05/mi, avg HR 170.  2 miles cooldown in 16:21, 8:10/mi, avg HR 151.

Today I tried to make up (some) of the Steady State workout I aborted yesterday.  Unfortunately, the roads got worse overnight, so I was stuck running on my treadmill (which I haven't used in months).  The digital readouts on the treadmill quit about 5 seconds into the warmup, leaving me with Garmin and my footpod for time, speed, and distance info.  My footpod accuracy has never been good, so I'm really not sure how far I truly went, but if it errors, it always errors on the conservative side, so I'm pretty certain I went at least 9 miles total, perhaps more.

Treadmill running for me is more work that outdoor running.  My breathing is usually more labored, my HR elevated, and my legs just feel like they have to work harder, so I went into the workout feeling like I'd take what I could get today.  As it turns out, I got 5 SS miles on a bit slower pace (maybe?), which is only half what I'd scheduled for yesterday, but its 5 miles more than nothing.  I did take 3 mini-breaks during the session, when I could tell I was crossing my threshold, but kept them to 15 seconds or less.  All in all, not ideal, but better than nothing.

Depending on how I feel, I'll either push the long run to Sunday, or execute tomorrow and keep the pace slower initially. 

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 225.25 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
18.000.000.000.0018.00

18 miles in 2:23:47, 7:59/mi, HR 149.  

Tried to take it nice and easy today.  Seemed to be working, except somehow the overall pace seems high in retrospect.  Did stop at around 7.5 for a few minutes to talk with a neighbor, which made starting again a bit tough (got a bit cold and stiff), but felt pretty good throughout.

Decided if I felt up to it to go run a race tomorrow, either a 10k or a 1/2 marathon.  It'll be an early rising time for me (~ 5am), but I'm feeling the need to let the horses loose.  I just hope after 2 moderately difficult workouts I have something left.  Probably not PR material, and probably not my smartest move, but I'm just feeling like I need to go run a race, so I think I will.

Time to retire this pair of shoes.

Brooks Adrenaline (Blue) - 512.5 miles. 

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments(4)
Race: Geoduck Gallop 1/2 Marathon (13.1 Miles) 01:26:15, Place overall: 9, Place in age division: 3
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
0.500.0013.100.0013.60

Well, I felt pretty decent this morning (although a bit tired, since it was 5am), so I decided to drive to Olympia, WA, to race today. Cold and frosty, especially at the race site, where the humidity was thick and the air was a frigid 30-something. At registration, decided to go for the 1/2 marathon, deceiving myself into thinking that the slower pace (compared to the 10k) would make the race "easier". Also decided to go out by feel and not worry so much about the target pace. I honestly figured there was no way I'd PR this race, since I ran 18 miles yesterday, and a relatively hard workout Friday (not to mention a somewhat stressful week).

After milling around trying to stay warm and warming up with a quick .5 mile jog, 8:02 am arrived and we were off. First watch check was a few minutes in and my garmin pace was around 6:30.....a bit fast, I thought, but that usually happens right out of the gate, so I wrote it off. I was in a pack of around 7-8 for the first couple of miles but pretty soon the pack dwindled to 4-5 and soon thereafter became an extended line. Seems like my downhill speed is pretty good as I was able to pass most of the pack I went out with and soon was trailing just one individual relatively closely with one more about .2 in front.

I managed to pass the close guy on the steep downhill at 4.5 by running a good tangent. Also managed to hold him off on the steep uphill, so now the chase was on for the final guy I could see. Ahead of him were the gazelles, so I concentrated on not letting my rabbit get away from me. That chase lasted the remainder of the race.

I did see the lead group, college track stars out to try to qualify for the NAIA Marathon Championships as they headed back up the path near the road at around the 6 mile mark. We were headed generally downhill for a while and figured I'd enjoy it while it lasted, paying for it on the return. At this point, my legs did feel pretty worn out, but I was still holding pace under 6:40, which was well into PR territory. Hmmmm....

The return trip uphills went thru some dense forested areas (ah, the beautiful northwest), which completely threw Garmin off. Up to this point, it seemed like the mile marks were coming up .02 short, but in here Garmin lost almost .5 mile and therefore lost track of accurate splits, which as it turns out was a good thing. I focused on pushing as hard as I felt I could sustain (plus a little) and in not letting my rabbit in front of me get away. I was definitely using all the tricks to stay on target....not thinking of the # of miles left, focused belly breathing, concentrating on the next step, etc. The icy patches made turns interesting (downright exciting in a couple of spots), but I managed to negotiate everything safely.

I managed to keep my rabbit on a leash until around the 11 mile turnaround point (last 4 was an out and back stretch) when he started slipping away. Mentally, hitting the turnaround point was helpful and I managed some stronger pushes on the last couple of miles. It wasn't enough to keep up with my rabbit, who seemed to have saved up for a gear I didn't have. Still I kept pushing on until I had the finish in sight, and managed to kick to the end. I knew I was spent when my breathing in the last .2 or so started sounded asthmatic, something that happens to me when I'm about done in.

1:26:15. Huh? That's almost a 5 minute PR from last August! Granted, that's 6 months of training, but 5 minutes? Wow, I was pretty pleased. I'm pretty darned happy with the result considering I was about as unrested as you can get.

My garmin splits, which are probably mostly worthless, were:

* 6:33
* 6:43
* 6:40
* 6:44
* 6:49
* 6:42
* 7:03
* 5:17 (This split was way off, as I manually hit the lap button to help Garmin out. Splits from here on out are pretty good.)
* 5:56 (This split was real since it was right after I got Garmin caught up and corresponded to the mile markers! A sub-6 split??? It wasn't even all a downhill! What was I thinking!!!)
* 6:44
* 6:53
* 6:28
* 6:38
* 1:00

So, one mile slower than 7, which is likely true as that was the all uphill mile. One faster than 6 which I'm still amazed about. Plus, a PR to boot. Good race day!

Of course, my internet was down again all day, so I was forced to suffer in silence and had blogging withheld until today, when it magically restored itself. Argh!

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 239 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments(9)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.000.000.000.007.00

7 miles in 58:44, 8:23/mi, HR 142.

Legs dead.  That familiar uncoordinated feeling after a hard race kept my pace very easy today.  First mile around 10:00/mi pace, but did loosen up some.  I have the feeling tomorrow medium-long run will be more of the same.  Some definite tightness in left ITB, hamstring, so some good stretching afterwards. 

Brooks Trance - 370 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Add Comment
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.000.000.000.0013.00

13 miles in 1:42:13, 7:51/mi, HR 150.  

Despite not wanting to wake up this morning, felt remarkably good through most of the run, reflected in the pace.  An emergency PB at 8.5 for a brief timeout, but otherwise uneventful.  New shoes!

Asics GT 2120 - 13 miles.
 

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.007.50

7.5 miles in 58:40, 7:49/mi, HR 152.

More snow last night so most of the run was through snow and slush.  Legs still feel a bit tired, but still wanted to move out smartly.  Felt better doing core exercises and stretching afterwards.

Brooks Trance - 377.5 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.200.000.003.9313.13

13.13 miles in 1:40:00, 7:36/mi, HR 154.  30 minute warmup, 40 minute Fartleks (5 x 5 minutes on/3 minutes off), 30 minute cooldown.  Fartleks: .77 (6:31/mi, uphill/flat), .86 (5:49/mi, flat/downhill), .73 (6:52/mi, uphill), .79 (6:21/mi, rolling/flat), .78 (6:27/mi, rolling/flat), avg HR 173.

Tried to keep on portions of Fartlek between 5 & 10K effort...honestly felt more like 5K for much of the session.  Was wanting it to end by repeat 3, but repeats 4 and 5 felt better...perhaps just getting used to speedwork again?  Luckily, the rains had come to wash away much of the snow on the roads.  Unfortunately, during the cooldown on the way back the rains came again, then the hail, then the heavy wet snow so that I was soaked and cold by the time I made it back home.  Oh, and the winds decided to blow periodically, usually in my face as I was running an uphill stretch.  Yippee!

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 252.13 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
6.250.000.000.006.25

6.25 miles in 48:17, 7:43/mi, HR 148.

Felt much better than expected after yesterday's Fartlek workout, especially since I didn't sleep well (common for me after a hard workout/race).  Short pause .35 miles and .95 miles into run, as I encountered a stranded motorist in need of water for his radiator, so I took ran back to the house and returned with a gallon of water (which got heavy quickly!).  After ensuring he was okay, continued run in light misty rain (much better than hail from yesterday), feeling pretty good and keeping a faster pace than normal.  I can tell my fitness has improved quite a bit lately, as my pace was usually 15-20 seconds slower at the same effort a short couple of weeks ago.  A good sign.

Had a 6-month checkup with the podiatrist today.  The left foot ball pain I'd been having late last year has almost completely faded, but he was able to find some type of nodule in that area that was suspicious, so foot xrays were take to determine whether it was in the tendon or a bone spur.  Also, its been a year since I was fitted for orthotics, which helped quite a bit.  I've read that you should periodically be re-examined as your gait changes over time (with increased fitness and strengthening), so I asked about it and he agreed.  Lo and behold, even I could tell on the fancy schmancy computer image where you step onto the pressure sensitive pad that things had changed.....last time there were blotches of red (high pressure areas) everywhere and my arches were pretty flat.  This time around, one tiny red spot on my left foot, but everything else was smoothly graduated and my arches seemed higher.  So new orthoes are going to be on the way in 4-6 weeks, which will also provide a bit of lift to take the pressure off my left foot metartarsals (where the nodule he found is located).  I'm encouraged that actively working to correct strength weaknesses in my core and legs has obviously paid off in more ways than just running faster. 

Things are feeling like they're really coming together.  Enough so that I may adjust my goal for the spring marathon downward a bit, but it's still a bit early that take that leap.

Brooks Trance - 383.75 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 7.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
20.000.000.000.0020.00

20 miles in 2:39:23, 7:58/mi.

After dropping our truck off for a service, ran the Puyallup Riverwalk trail, then jumped onto the Foothills trail and headed out towards Orting and back.  Could've done without the winds, but the rains held off and I even got a little sun, so all is forgiven.  Forgot my HR strap in the rush out the door.  Aimed for 8:21/mi pace for the first half, 7:39/mi pace for the second half.  Around 10 miles in, inside of left hamstring started feeling a bit strained and tight.  This progressed until eventually it started cramping (or what I figure is cramping, never having had cramped leg muscles before), so that I was forced to stop and massage it for a few seconds every couple of miles after 14 or so.  Fortunately, it didn't seize completely (a long walk back) nor did it really affect my pace (aside from the quick stops), so I'll chalk this up to experience.  I took no water with me, it was a bit warmer out today than it has been (~52F to start), and I added a new exercise to my core routine that I think worked my poor little hammies more than they're used to, so my left one started crying uncle today.  Otherwise, a good solid run.

The course I ran was pretty flat and subconsciously I found myself doubting my flat-course running skills about halfway through.  Decided enough of that garbage, that I was just *making* myself poor at it, and lo and behold, managed my target pace without too much strain for the last 10.  I really need to get this mental "I can't/I'm not good/This is hard" stuff under control, so I will focus on positive thinking on my hard/long runs from now on to see if it helps.  Afterwards, I reflected on how 10 months after my first marathon, I'd just completed a long run at under the goal pace I'd set for that race easily and afterwards went about the rest of my day.  It certainly helps for generating positive thoughts.

Asics GT 2120 - 33 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.250.000.000.007.25

6.25 miles in 49:44, 7:57/mi, HR 147.  Afterwards, 1.0 mile with the dogs, 10:43/mi, HR 116.

Still some left hamstring twinges this morning, so I kept the start very easy.  Warmed up nicely and had a nice and easy run.  Tacked on a mile afterwards with the dog, since they've been cooped up with the weather quite a bit lately.

Brooks Trance - 391 miles.



Night Sleep Time: 9.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.000.000.008.50

1.0 mile in 9:45, HR 122 with the dogs as a warmup.  7.5 miles in 57:58, 7:43/mi, HR 148.

Iced the left hamstring last night, desperately hoping that the twinges I've been feeling the last two days aren't anything serious.  Mentioned it to the chiro this morning, who had me walk in place, immediately telling me it was my left hamstring.  Wow.  So then came the explanation that unfortunately I wasn't awake enough to remember completely but it had to do with mr left hip being rotated and now allowing my leg to move as it should.  Anyway, an adjustment later with some big pops and I could feel immediate relief.  I got instructions to go ahead and run, but return immediately if I started feeling the twinges again, as it likely indicates a recurrence of me being "outta wack" (my term, not his).

So today's run was nice and easy.  Ran 1 mile with the dogs first, to ensure I started off nice and slow, and got some upper arm work in the first half mile holding them back.  After that brief warmup, I ran my scheduled easy run and it was....easy.  Really easy.  This once again confirms in my mind that I need a nice slow warmup, and if I get it done right, my run goes so much better.  Best of all, no hamstring issues.

Did my core and stretching afterwards, again being careful not to aggravate the hamstring.  The exercise I added that I though might have aggravated it in the first place wasn't too bad, but I didn't push it.  A good workout day with atypical nice weather (45F + no rain) to boot.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 260.63 miles.
 

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.510.000.000.009.51

9.51 miles in 1:13:20, 7:42/mi, HR 157.  30 minute warmup, 10 x 0:20 Strides w/ 1:00 rest, 30 minute cooldown.

First time in a while the weather cooperated for some good strides.  3 uphill, 4 flat, 3 downhill.  Garmin paces ranged from 5:39/mi for the first to 4:52/mi for the last.  Looking back, I think I was putting too much effort into them in my excitement to be able to do them on a solid surface, but c'est la vie...I'll do better next time.  An enjoyable run in more typical Pacific NW weather (48F & light mist at the end).

Brooks Trance - 400.51 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
8.500.000.000.008.50

7.5 miles in 55:33, 7:24/mi, HR 156.  1.0 miles in 9:19, HR 129 with the dogs as a cooldown. 

Legs wanted to go today….no stopping them.  All uphill miles were under 8 min miles, all downhill miles under 7 min miles, both firsts for an Easy run.  No accounting for it, other than the day was gorgeous and I was running in outside shorts for the first time in months.  I hope this didn't take too much out of me for tomorrow, but my legs just wanted to go and wouldn't slow down.  Loved this run.

Asics GT 2120 - 41.5 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.340.000.003.2812.62

12.62 miles in 1:32:00, 7:17/mi, HR 160. 

30 minutes warmup (uphill), 3.78 mi, 7:56/mi, HR 154. 

8 x 2.5 minute Fartlek with 1.5 minute rest.

30 minutes cooldown (downhill),  4.18 mi, 7:11/mi, HR 154.

Fartleks:

  • Up/rolling .41 mi, 6:04/mi, HR 173
  • Rolling/down .42 mi, 5:56/mi, HR 172
  • Down .44 mi, 5:44/mi, HR 171
  • Up .38 mi, 6:30/mi, HR 171
  • Up .39 mi, 6:25/mi, HR 172
  • Up/rolling .41, 6:09/mi, HR 171
  • Rolling .41, 6:08/mi, HR 170
  • Rolling .42 5:57/mi, HR 170

A tad aggressive on the first one (as usual).  Second and third hurt worse than the should've...got a side stitch that was distracting for a while.  Fourth and onwards felt hard but good....like I finally got into the swing of things.  Legs were burning good on the last couple, but a good burn.  Again the warmup and cooldown felt easy but was fast compared to just a week or two ago.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 273.25 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.007.50

1.0 mile in 9:02, HR 126 with the dogs as a warmup. 6.5 miles in 48:18, 7:26/mi, HR 154.

Other than hitting the pause button on Garmin accidentally partway into the run and losing about 1 mile worth of data, uneventful run today. Definitely feeling yesterday's workout, which is why I warmed up with the dogs first (they're already improving too, managing to hang in there better for the entire mile).

Core exercises and stretching afterwards.  The new exercise I added last week really works my hamstrings, which are evidently pretty darned weak.  Soon to be corrected. 

Brooks Trance - 408.01 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
10.584.430.000.0015.01

90 minute Thirds Progression run (12.01 mi, 7:29/mi, HR 152). First third 3.62 mi (8:17/mi, HR 142), second third 3.97 (7:33/mi, HR 150), last third 4.43 mi (6:46/mi, HR 165), followed by 2 miles cooldown in 15:10 (7:35/mi, HR 149).  1 mile in 9:12, HR 132, with the dogs.

Slow start helpful to work out the aches from the previous couple of days.  Once warmed up, settled into some good paces for each third.  Overall effort felt pretty comfortable (even the last third), and compared to last Progression run :15/mi pace increase seems pretty significant.  Cooldown afterwards, followed by a really easy mile with the dogs.

Asics GT 2120 - 56.51 miles. 

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.007.50

6.5 miles in 49:00, 7:32/mi, HR 149.  1.0 miles in 8:56, HR 127 with the dogs.

Easy afternoon jaunt after stressful day filled with doing taxes and getting calls from our bank and QVC discovering someone had stolen our credit card numbers and were trying to ring up purchases.  Luckily, the bank and QVC both sniffed out the fradulent charges and so everything was pretty much prevented, but it requires paperwork and new card #s.  Second time in two years this has happened to us.  So the run was a good stress reliever.  Now back to the taxes!

Brooks Trance - 415.51 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
13.500.000.000.0013.50

13.5 miles in 1:43:29, 7:40/mi, HR 155.

Moved up medium-long run to take advantage of the holiday and use my new forest pass to run some new trails nearby. Nice new scenery shared with a few logging and occasional pickup trucks. Hills were a bit more than I'd anticipated with the monster starting at mile 3 gaining about 850' over 1.5 miles. Time doesn't reflect my "lung stops" where I had to pause for a few seconds to allow my lung to catch up on the steeper sections. Some nice views and I snapped a couple of shots with my phone for posterity (and for the search and rescue team if my navigation skills had failed). A fine run on a fine day (although my body is in desperate need of my chiropractic appt tomorrow).

Starting up the hill...

This looks like the top....NOT!!!

I was there...the road right of center...

A better perspective....the road on the left side of the picture....and this wasn't the top!


Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 286.75 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments(4)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

8 miles in 59:42, 7:27/mi, HR 153. 1 mile in 9:14, HR 129 with the dogs.

Easy day to recover from pounding legs took off-road yesterday. No soreness yet but I can can hear my quads whining already. Still trying to figure out when this speed became easy....

Felt like a bit of a head cold the last couple of days....suspect it's this false spring we're having releasing pollens into the area.  

Decided to recheck my resting heart rate the other morning and discovered a new low....40 (used to be 43).  A good sign. 

Brooks Trance - 424.51 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.480.000.004.0313.51

13.51 miles in 1:40:00, 7:24/mi, HR 160. 30 minute warmup, 40 minute Fartleks (5 x 5 minutes on/3 minutes off), 30 minute cooldown.

Fartlek Distance (miles)
Pace (min/mi)
HR (avg/max)
Terrain
1.82 6:06 177/182 1/4 up - 3/4 flat
2.816:10 175/180 rolling
3.79 6:18 173/179 1/4 up - 3/4 flat
4.816:12 172/180 rolling
5.80 6:14 173/179 rolling

Decided to stay one day ahead on my schedule and to do my Fartlek workout for the week today while the weather was still nice (no guarantees tomorrow.) A bit tired and a touch of sore throat the last couple of days had me rethinking that decision all the way to the first iteration, but decided to just go for it. Over-exuberance in the beginning of the first one left me hurting halfway thru the first one....uh oh. Managed to recover and knock out all 5, although the last 15 seconds or so of the last one I was in serious O2 debt, gasping to get enough air in, and about to completely shutdown, which I guess was good timing. Considering the terrain differences, iterations 2-5 were all pretty evenly paced, sitting between my 5k and 10k race paces. My right quad was noticeably tired during the cooldown, but otherwise none the worse for wear.

Asics GT 2120 - 70.02 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.007.50

1.0 miles in 8:38/mi, HR 133 with the dogs.  6.5 miles in 49:27, 7:36/mi, HR 152.

Dogs were feeling frisky today, reflected in their pace.  After yesterday's Fartlek workout, I was most decidedly not....kept the pace easy and made a mental note to repeat this tomorrow.  Sleep was not wonderful; result of hard workout yesterday I'm sure.  At least the weather held...beautiful sunny day in the high 40s again.  Rain scheduled for tomorrow.

Brooks Trance - 432.01 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 7.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 7.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.500.000.000.009.50

8.0 miles in 59:02, 7:22/mi, HR 156.  1.5 miles in 13:22, 8:54/mi, HR 137 with the dogs.

Felt oh so tired this morning, but managed to wake up and come run time felt pretty good, especially since the promised rain had not manifested yet and I was treated to another sunny day in the 50s.  Right calf muscle had a knot in it on waking this morning, but it worked itself out a couple of miles in and I felt pretty good throughout the run.  I've been winding up on the fast side of my Easy run pace, so it's probably time for another race to baseline fitness.

The dogs were in rare form today, so I decided to keep going as long as they were in the mood to pull me along.  Shy of the 3/4 mile mark they finally slowed, so we rounded it off to a nice 1.5 mile jaunt out and back.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 296.25 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
22.000.000.000.0022.00

22 miles in 2:52:11, 7:49/mi, HR 153.

Over the hills and through the woods and back over the hills and through more woods and....

Another fantastic day in the Pacific NW, Sunny, starting temp ~ 40F, ending temp ~ 49F. Decided to make this another trail/hilly long run today. All went according to plan until about 1/3 of the way in my path turned from dirt to icy and frozen snow. Since this was the start of the middle hill I'd intended and there was no way I was going to be able to keep footing, I went with Plan B....take the next stretch as a nice long downhill at a faster pace and leave a punishing hill for later in the run.

Got some true cross-country miles in, complete with muddy shoes, stream crossings, thorn bushes, and a 9:38 mile which was blazing fast given the terrain. Tackled a long 3+ mile hill that I'd not run for many months that previously reduced me to intermittent walking in order to get to the top, managing to keep around an 8:00/mi avg. Decided late in the run to extend the run from 20 to 22 miles, giving myself a nice 2.5 mile downhill to the finish as a reward, so the last miles were 7:17, 7:08, and 7:08. A solid enjoyable long run.

Some happy snaps from my run:

Asics GT 2120 - 92.02 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.50
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.007.50

6.5 miles in 48:55, 7:31/mi, HR 152. 1 mile in 9:49/mi, HR 126 with the dogs.

Some residual soreness from yesterday's long run that got worked out on warmup. Runs today sandwiched between laying concrete backer-board in bathroom floor and more chainsaw work in the yard.

Brooks Trance - 439.51 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.50
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

8 miles in 58:55, 7:22/mi, HR 151.  1 mile in 9:46, HR 131 with the dogs.

Easy miles today that went by pretty quickly.  Pace is still on the fast side of my easy range.  Legs were tired today, which was pretty much how I felt all morning until the run finally got me going.  Oh, and the clouds and light rain have returned.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 305.25 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.50Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.50
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.040.000.001.7710.81

10.81 miles in 1:20:00, 7:24/mi, HR 160. 30 minute warmup, 20 minute Fartleks (10 x 1 minute on/1 minute off), 30 minute cooldown.  Average fartlek "on" pace was 5:39/mi.

Fartlek Distance (miles)
Pace (min/mi)
HR (avg/max)
Terrain
1.17 5:49 170/176up
2.185:34
170/177 rolling
3.18 5:37
171/177rolling
4.195:19
171/177 down
5.17 5:50
170/178up
6
.18
5:30
171/176
down
7
.17
5:45
171/178
up
8
.18
5:39
169/178
rolling
9
.17
5:45
173/179
rolling
10
.18
5:41
173/178
rolling

Good sleep but minor sore throat/draining sinuses lingers.  Felt pretty tired all morning again but the warmup helped get me going.  Felt my left quad muscle during the warmup....not pain but just felt it, so I'm not sure what that means.  Feeling went away 15 minutes or so into the workout. 

Fartleks felt pretty good...a lot less painful than the longer ones I've been doing.  Was aiming to keep pace below 5K pace (6:00/mi) but wound up averaging under my 3K pace (5:44/mi).  Good workout...I only hope I can repeat the performance on the longer 5 on/3 off Fartlek workout on Thursday.  Tomorrow will need to be easy.

Asics GT 2120 - 102.83 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments(2)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.000.000.000.009.00

8 miles in 59:13, 7:24/mi, HR 155.  1 mile in 9:35, HR 133 with the dogs.

Felt like I was pool running today but somehow the pace was quick at an easy effort again.  Hopefully easy enough so that tomorrow's Fartlek session goes according to plan.

Brooks Trance - 448.51 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
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Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
9.260.000.003.3012.56

12.56 miles in 1:32:00, 7:19/mi, HR 159. 30 minute warmup, 32 minute Fartleks (8 x 2.5 minute on/1.5 minute off), 30 minute cooldown. Average fartlek "on" pace was 6:05/mi.

Fartlek Distance (miles)
Pace (min/mi)
HR (avg/max)
Terrain
1.40 6:15171/176up
2.406:19
173/178 up
3.40 6:18
172/179up
4.396:22
171/178up
5.41 6:08
173/179up/rolling
6
.42
5:58
173/179
rolling/down
7
.43
5:49
172/178
down
8
.45
5:32
171/177
down

My trend of feeling crappy in the morning continued today, with the added bonus of a nosebleed to boot.  Not sure where all this is coming from, but true to form, gradually felt better until it was time to run.  Noticed right away that my legs were tired....uh oh.   Decided on a slightly different course that would start my fartleks with four uphill segments, two relatively flat one, and finish with some fast running on two downhill segments.  Forced to take a quick PB after segment 3.  Legs felt like anchors by segment 5.  The rest just hurt.....bad.  There was no brisk pace between fast segments, only slow jogging and some walking.  But I got it done and looking back on my pacing, it wasn't too bad considering this is my second hard workout of the week and the first four segments were uphill killers.  Another workout in the bank.

Brooks Adrenaline (Yellow) - 317.81 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 8.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 8.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
7.500.000.000.007.50

6.5 miles in 49:20, 7:35/mi, HR 151. 1 mile in 9:18, HR 130 with the dogs.

Tried my best to keep my pace very easy today, made easier because I'm worn out from yesterday. Some headwinds for a couple of uphill miles, but otherwise uneventful. Gorgeous weather though....60F temps!

Interesting. My Garmin Forerunner 305 has a Leap Day bug that seems to have lost my first mile on my run. I know it's a software bug because MotionBased has a record of the entire time and distance, but is also missing that lap's details.

Record month for mileage for me! 

Brooks Trance - 456.01 miles.

Night Sleep Time: 9.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 9.00
Comments(1)
Easy MilesMarathon Pace MilesThreshold MilesVO2 Max MilesTotal Distance
276.414.4318.1016.31315.25
Night Sleep Time: 248.00Nap Time: 0.00Total Sleep Time: 248.00
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